Well point



J. W. STANG WELL POINT Filed Sept. 28, 1937 IIJFIITIIT! March 7, 1 939.

Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELL POINT Y IJohn W. Stang, Hollis, N. Y. ,Application September 28, 1937, Serial No. 166,083

4 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in well points.

vBefore starting excavation work in areas where the water level would interfere with excavating,

` it is customary practice to sink a row of pipes by A high efciency in operation.

A further object of the inventio-n comprises a well point carrying at the well point head a drill point of improved construction and water jet openings at the base ofthe drill point adapted to propel jets of water to an area immediately surrounding the drill point thereby obtaining an improved jetting action and high operating efliciency.

A still further object of the invention comprises a well point having a high drainage capacity with a minimum of obstruction in the effective drainage space and a maximum of effective drainage surface.

The invention will be fully understood and still further objects thereof will appear as the following description is read in conjunction with the drawing in which Y Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a well point in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a side view of part of the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 and showing the Ycenter pipe or duct surrounded by a spirally wound corrugated metal strip spacing.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the construction shown in Fig. 2. 1

Fig. 4 is a section through Fig. 1 on the plane indicated by IV-IV.

Fig. 5 is a section through Fig. l on the plane indicated by V-V.

Fig. 6 is a section through Fig. 1 on the plane indicated by VI--VL Fig. 7 is a top View of a construction illus trating screen attached corrugated metal strip spacing.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the drill point.

As illustratedA in the drawing a center pipe or duct I threaded with its upper end into a fitting 2 is surrounded by a metal screen 3 held in position by the corrugated metal strip spacing 4 spirally surrounding center pipe or duct I inside screen 3. The lower end of center duct I is threaded into well point head 5 carrying at its lower extremity drill point 6. Well point head 5 comprises a housing 'I carrying in its interior a plate 8 provided with center opening 9 and 'l5 dividing the interior of the housing into an upper compartment Ill and a lower compartment H. Ball I2 in lower compartment II is adapted to close opening 9 thereby acting as a return flow'. check. The bottom of compartment II is proi0 vided with two water jet openings I3 and I4 at the base of drill point E. Center post I5 in the center of the bottom of compartment II and between the openings I3 and I4 preventsv ball I2 from closing the openings I3 and I4. Housing 'I I5 preferably consists of a lower housing 'Ib threaded into an upper housing 1a with the disc 8 rev movably inserted in a seat I6 in the upper housf ing 1a, and there preferably held in position by the threaded-in portion of lower housing 1b. The upper threaded portion of housing 1a carries cut, outs I8 so as to provide direct communicationof l the drainage space I9 between center duct I and screen 3 with the compartment I0 of well point Y head 5. Fitting 2 carries threaded end 20 adapt- :25

ed to permit the attachment of a water pipe connection 20a. Within the purview and as an embodiment of my invention I have found that highly efcient well point sinking is obtained by using an im- `T30 proved drill point such as drill point I3 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 8 comprising two substantially symmetrical concavely bevelled surfaces I5 with a common pointed vertex I6 carrying water jet openings I3 and I4 so positioned that water jets V3,5 propelled through the same are directed and will converge substantially at the pointed vertex of the drill point surfaces being vthus eiectively applied to an area immediately surrounding `the drill point. @40 1n the practical application of my invention the well point, suitably attached toa water pipe, is jetted into position by feeding water under suitable pressure to the same while simultaneously rotating the pipe connection and attached well 215 point. The water passing straight` through the center duct and the well point head-is propelled through water jet openings I3 and I4 on the drill point 6 to an area immediately surrounding the same. The well point drills its way into the 450 ground slushing away the soil in its path and will even efliciently penetrate gravel bedsv in this manner.

As soon as the pipe connection and attached well points are properly positioned the feeding of g55 the water to the well point is discontinued and the removal of the sub-surface water in the area surrounding the-well point may now be commenced by attaching the pipe connection to suitable suction means such as a pump or the like. As soon as the pumping commences ball i2 in Well point head chamber I I will be carried against opening 9 in disc 3 thus eifectively closing the same. The sub-surface water now seeps through screen 3 into the. drainage space I9 between central duct I and screen 3 leaving the soil surrounding screen 3 in place. The water draining through screen 3 flows downwardly in the drainage space I 9 thence through cut-outs I3 into well point head chamber IB being from there removed through center duct I. While the sub-surface Water is being sucked through screen 3, the sucking action as well as the pressure of the surrounding soil require proper supporting means for the screen to prevent the same from being dented and thereby forced from its seat on fitting 2 or housing 'Ia with the resultant formation of openings permitting soil to be sucked into the well point and clogging up the same. Such supporting means necessarily impair the drainage capacity and eiiiciency of the well point as they obstruct portions of the effective drainage screen surface as well as portions of the eiective drainage space between the center duct and the screen. I have discovered that I may accomplish the proper positioning and supporting of the screen while maintaining a high drainage capacity of the well point with a minimum of obstruction in the effective drainage space and a maximum of effective drainage surface by using as a support or spacer in the construction in accordance with my invention a corrugated metal strip spirally surrounding the center pipe or duct. This corrugated metal strip may be either attached to the pipe by spirally winding the same around the pipe or may be attached to the screen by spirally winding the same around the inner surface of the latter. The attachment of the metal strip to the pipe may be, for instance, accomplished by such means as the screws 25 and 25a, respectively, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3; the attach'- ment of the metal strip to the inside of the drainage screen may be accomplished in a similar manner as, for instance, by means of screws such as screw 25 in Fig. 7.

Though I prefer avwell point head construction with two separable housings it is of course understood that I may for instance use Within the scope of my invention a one piece housing. Equally the disc and ball ladapted to close the disc opening as recited in the preferred structure in accordance with the invention may be replaced if desired by any other suitable means for separating the upper from the lower compartment provided the same carries suitable intercompartment communication adapted to be closed by suitable means.

The spirally wound corrugated metal strip spacer may of course be utilized in well points of a construction other than that described in connection with the preferred embodiment of my invention sincev the advantages attending my novel screen support structure are realized regardless of the particular construction of the well point head and regardless whether the same embraces a drilling element or not. The particular construction and type of drill point recited in the preferred structure of my invention may be advantageously used in any well point construction irrespective of any particular screen spacing element and is not limited to a structural combination with a spirally wound corrugated metal strip screen support.

The foregoing is recited by way of illustration and not of limitation, and it is my intention that the invention be limited only by the appended claims or their equivalents in which I have endeavored to claim broadly all inherent novelty.

I claim:

l. In a well point the improvement comprising a drill point having two subtantially symmetrical concavely bevelled surfaces with a common pointed vertex, each of said surfaces carrying meansfor propelling jets of water to an area immediately surrounding said drill point, a duct, a drainagescreen surrounding said duct and spaced apart from said duct by a spirally wound corrugated metal strip thereby forming a drainage space between said screen and said duct, said duct being in communication with said means for propelling jets of water and with said drainage space, and means for closing the communication of said duct with said means for propelling jets of water.

2. A well point comprising a duct, a drainage screen surrounding said duct and spaced apart from said duct by a spirally wound corrugated metal strip thereby forming a drainage space between said screen and said duct, a well point head comprising a housing, an upper and lower Vcompartment in said housing, said upper compartment being in communication with said duct and said drainage space, said lower compartment being in communication with said upper compartment, said well point head carrying at its lower extremity a drill point having two substantially symmetrical concavelyV bevelled surfaces with a common pointed vertex, each of said surfaces carrying in communication with said lower compartment means for propelling jets of i water to an area immediately surrounding said drill point, and means in said housing for closing thecommunication between said upper and said lower compartment.

3. A well point comprising a duct, a drainage screen surrounding said duct and spaced apart from said duct by a spirally wound corrugated metal strip thereby forming a drainage space between said screen and said duct, a well point head comprising an upper compartment within an upper housing, a lower compartment within a lower housing, means seated in said upper housing for separating said upper from said lower compartment and provided with an inter-compartment communication, means for closing said inter-compartment communication, means in the upper portion of said upper housing for forming a communication of said upper compartment with said drainage space, said duct extending into said upper housing and in communication I,

with said upper compartment, fitting means carried by the upper end of said duct, said screen being seated with its upper end against said fitting means and with its lower end against said upper housing, said well point head carrying at its lower extremity a drill point having two substantially symmetrical concavely bevelled surfaces with a common pointed vertex each of said surfaces carrying in Acommunication with said lower compartment means for propelling jets of water to an area immediately surrounding said drill point.

4. A well point comprising a duct, a drainage screen surrounding said duct and spaced apart from said duct by a spirally wound corrugated metal strip thereby forming a drainage space between said screen and said duct, a Well point head comprising an upper compartment within an upper housing, a lower compartment within a lower housing, a disc seated in said upper housing and separating said upper from said lower compartment, an opening in said disc, a ball in said lower compartment adapted to close said disc opening, means for preventing said ball from resting on the bottom of said lower compartment, said lower housing being threaded into said upper housing and bearing against said disc, said duct being threaded with its lower end into said upper housing and in communication with said upper compartment and with its upper end into a fitting adapted to receive a pipe connection, cut-outs in the upper threaded portion of said upper housing thereby forming a communication of said upper compartment with said drainage space, said screen being seated with its upper end against said fitting and with its lower end against said upper housing, said well point head carrying at its lower extremity a drill point having two substantially symmetrical concavely bevelled surfaces with a common pointed vertex each of said surfaces carrying in communication with said lower compartment at least one opening for propelling jets of water to an area immediately surrounding said drill point.

JOHN W. STANG. 

